Dramatic year-to-year temperature swings and a century-long warming trend across west Antarctica are linked to conditions in the tropical Pacific Ocean, according to new work by Boulder researchers.

Scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research analyzed ice cores from a relatively snowy part of the continent to infer year-to-year temperature changes.

“As the tropics warm, so too will west Antarctica,” said NCAR scientist David Schneider. “These ice cores reveal that west Antarctica’s climate is influenced by atmospheric and oceanic changes thousands of miles to the north.”

Scientists are interested in whether warming will destabilize the west Antarctic ice sheet over a period of decades or centuries. The ice sheet covers an area the size of Mexico, averages about 6,500 feet deep and, if melted, would raise global sea levels by about 8 to 16 feet.